Changing Destiny
by Rajko
Summary: Edward Cullen will do whatever it takes to protect his mate, even if it means becoming the monster he always feared he was. Edward-Severus. Slash.


**Title**: Changing Destiny  
><strong>Author<strong>: Rajko  
><strong>Rating<strong>: M  
><strong>Pairing<strong>: Severus Snape/Edward Cullen  
><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: This is all just a bit of fun.  
><strong>Warnings<strong>: Unbeta'd. Blood. Gore. Violence.  
><strong>Notes<strong>: I have no excuse for not updating my other stories for so long other than the normal so as an apology I bring you an unusual pairing and a bit of fun. That having been said, this story is not nearly as dark as the summary implies so I hope you all enjoy it!

**Summary**: Edward Cullen will do whatever it takes to protect his mate, even if it means becoming the monster he always feared he was.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 1<strong>

Edward Cullen took the stairs down to his mate's dungeon office at a brisk pace, lips curling into an amused smile as he heard the man's acerbic tones drifting from somewhere down below. Severus had obviously started his rounds early, hoping to catch any wayward students out after curfew and deduct a blistering amount of house points. Or assign detention. With Filch.

Chuckling softly, he hopped down the last few steps, not bothering to disguise his approach. For some reason, one that he had yet to discover, his mate always seemed to know when he was coming; sensing him long before he made his presence known. It was thrilling, in its own way, and he loved it far more than he was willing to admit. Never had he imagined having a mate so in tune with him, so willing to look past his nature and see the person inside.

Of course, it had taken time to see that. Severus was not an easy man to live with and an even harder one to love. The first time he had ever tried to tell the man he was drawn to him, that he thought that they were mates, his confession had garnered little more than a raised eyebrow and a very put-upon 'very well'. As though they'd been discussing potion ingredients or, worse, the weather.

Rounding the corner, Edward stopped, hovering in the shadows as he watched his mate stalk from one dark corner to another, ousting any students who were foolish enough to think the dungeons were a perfect spot for a late night tryst. His black robes billowed behind him, making him look tall and menacing in the dim lighting from the wizard sconces, and his wand tip glowed eerily. It was all a very striking image and Edward couldn't help but admire it as the man stabbed his wand into another darkened nook.

"Bryers, Milligan," his mate intoned, dark eyes flashing at the two fourth years he'd found clasped together in the alcove. "You'll both be serving detention tomorrow with Mr. Filch. Do not be late. Now," he jerked his wand sharply, "back to your common room and twenty points each from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff for exposing me to your disgusting adolescent display."

The two boys scurried into action, nearly knocking into one another in their haste to get away. Edward grinned, golden eyes tracking his mate as he listened to the two students hurry down the corridor, neither noticing his presence. This was his mate. The man he'd had the fortune (or misfortune, according to others) to fall in love with. The man who was cunning, brave, snappish, opinionated, "sexy"…

"Only you would think so," Severus opined dryly, gaze sweeping the now empty corridor before pinning the shadows he stood in with a frown. "I thought you would be in the Forbidden Forest tonight. The potion I gave you isn't losing its potency, is it? You must tell me at once if – "

"No," Edward cut in smoothly, stepping from the shadows. "I ate more than my fill and came back early." He took a deep breath, savoring the closeness of his mate's scent before continuing. "I thought you weren't going to start your rounds until later?"

"I had an unexpected meeting with the Headmaster," Severus replied tartly, extinguishing his wand. The lights from nearby sconces flickered, making shadows dance between them. Edward blinked, red lips pulling down at the corners.

He'd only been with Severus a few short months, finding him just before the school year started, but he had learned quickly that unexpected meetings with Albus Dumbledore never boded well, for him or his mate, especially if the topic of conversation involved Harry Potter. Which it usually did.

Cautiously curious, Edward moved closer, words a low murmur between them. "What's happened? Is something wrong?"

Casting him a pointed glance, the potions master shook his head, limp black hair swishing over his shoulders. "Not here," the wizard murmured, turning on his heels. His robes flared dramatically, slithering over Edward's shins. "Meet me in our rooms."

Nodding, Edward streaked forward, dodging around his mate and down the corridor in a blur of speed. He arrived at their portrait; a pair of snakes twined together so tightly they looked as though they were one being, and murmured the password. The painting swung open and he stepped inside, shivering at the way the wards seemed to melt around him, cupping and caressing him obscenely.

It was his magic, Severus had claimed, recognizing him as 'friend' instead of 'foe'. Edward wasn't sure he believed him. Not after all the times he'd slipped in and out of the castle's wards, going for a hunt or exploring the interior of the forest. They had never groped him, and the wards around their rooms seemed to be doing a fair impression of that any time he left or entered.

Not that he minded. Feeling his mate's magic surround him, flow over him like water over stone, was an indescribable experience. One that he treasured every time it happened.

Moving to one of the armchairs near the fireplace, Edward settled in to wait, knowing it would be a few minutes before his mate's appearance. He would undoubtedly check a few more dimly lit corners before making it to their rooms. Snorting, he shook his head. He could have scooped the man up and carried him here, shaving off the extra few minutes, but he wasn't a fool. Not after the last time.

"I see you've made yourself at home," Severus deadpanned as soon as he entered, portrait-swinging shut behind him. He always said the same thing, as though one day he expected to find Edward gone and not waiting for him. Like a figment of his imagination.

"This _is _my home," Edward returned simply, standing long enough to help divest his mate of his outer robes. They smelled of something briny and wet, a sure sign that the man had been digging for new potion ingredients near the lake. He wrinkled his nose, holding them a little further away from his body.

Setting them aside, he ran a hand tenderly down the man's arm, smiling when his mate leaned into his touch. Severus was not an overly affectionate person, scorning public displays of affection the way most scorned thieves and liars, but he never seemed to mind when Edward showed him how he felt. Pressing a gentle kiss against the corner of his mate's mouth, Edward ushered him to the chair opposite his own.

"Now," he started, sliding back into his seat. "Will you tell me what's happened?"

For a long moment, Severus was silent, pale features becoming puckered. When he finally spoke, it was in an undertone, hushed despite their proximity. "I have been entrusted with a very important task, one that the Headmaster believes I am well suited for despite my," he grimaced, "current difficulties."

At those words, Edward's eyes drifted to the man's covered forearm. He knew what lie beneath the fabric, having traced the brand with his own fingers. He hated it; hated knowing what it meant and that it was on Severus's body. He ached to be able to wash it away, destroy the link that tethered his mate and that mad man together, but it wasn't in his power. Not yet, anyway.

"What task?" He questioned, eyes lifting and locking with his chosen's. There was pain in them, pain and longing so thoroughly masked that he knew if hadn't been looking for them he would never have seen them. Going to his knees, he placed his hands on his mate's thighs, rubbing them gently. "What task, Severus?"

"If I am not wholly mistaken," Severus answered, adam's apple bobbing beneath the high collar of his robes. "I believe he has asked me to become like you. To...take your bite, as it were."

The soft choked sound that escaped his lips was unintentional, the venom flooding his mouth making it hard to do much more than gasp. Freezing, Edward squeezed his eyes shut, a fine tremor running through his body. Of all the things he had expected, that hadn't been one of them.

It was no secret between them that he had hopes to one day change his mate. To make him immortal, beautiful, and never changing just like himself. It was a hope and wish that they both shared, but not like this. Not as a command or an order or tactical maneuver to help win the war, but as a gesture of love, one that he had only just come around to admitting he wanted from his mate.

"Forgive me," Severus murmured, voice honey dark and low between them. His thighs quivered beneath Edward's touch. "It was – tactless – to tell you so suddenly."

"No," Edward denied hoarsely, valiantly trying to fight back the urge to crawl onto his mate's lap and rub his burgeoning erection all over the man's body. Claim what was his by right, if not by arrangement. "No, I – it's – I'm glad you told me. Do – do you know why – did he say…?"

"The war effort," the potion's master supplied. "The Dark Lord has long coveted the company of your kind. Dumbledore believes-"

"He's a fool," Edward cut in, hissing and feral. His protective instincts, so tightly coiled with other baser impulses, were beating at him, demanding that he speak-protect-love-cherish-_kill_for his mate, even if it meant slaughtering a man, wizard, such as Albus Dumbledore…or The Dark Lord. "He's a fool if he thinks that my changing you will help. He doesn't know – can't know – what it'll be like once you've changed."

Pulling back from where he kneeled, he shook his head, dark amber eyes meeting sharp black. "You won't be able to just integrate back into society. Whether muggle or wizarding, even your potions won't be able to batter down the kind of hunger you're going to feel when you're changed. It's," he broke off, gesturing vaguely. "All-consuming. You'll want blood and me and more blood. You'll be feeding hourly, constantly testing the limits of your appetite. How can he – or anyone – expect you to be of any use in that state? You're a master of control, my mate, but you're not…not…Superman!"

"No," Severus offered sardonically. "I'm a Wizard."

Snorting, Edward pulled back even more, pushing himself to his feet. "You know what I mean, Severus. Don't pretend that you don't. It's unattractive."

"So is service to the Dark Lord," the man countered, thin lips pulling down at the corners. "I am not a proud man, nor am I fool enough to believe that Dumbledore's plan will work. However," he continued, eyes cutting to him when he made to speak. "I also know that I cannot continue on this way. Not now that I have you to consider."

"You don't have to protect me," Edward protested. "I can look after myself. And you."

"Can you?" Severus asked, tone light. Edward bristled immediately.

"Of course I can," he started indignantly, only to let out a startled shout when he found himself being levitated off the ground and tossed into the air like a plaything. Growling, he spread his arms, trying in vain to find some sort of balance in the open air around him. "Damn it, Severus, put me down!"

"No," the man replied, bobbing him pointedly. His wand was grasped lazily in one hand, thin lips quirked slightly at the corners. "I don't think I will."

"Severus," Edward hissed, legs jerking uselessly. "Put me down! Now!"

He fell, knees and palms slapping hard against the cold floor. Scowling, he pushed himself to his haunches, amber eyes cutting balefully to his mate. "You know I hate that."

"I do," Severus agreed, clearly unrepentant. Edward scowled harder, rising to his feet and flopping back down in his own chair. He hated when the man had a point to make. He always ended up mid-air, limbs flailing uselessly.

"I _can_ protect you," Edward muttered a few moments later, tone sullen. "I know you don't think much of my abilities, but I can. I _will_. I promise you."

An almost imperceptible change came over the wizard's features then, the harsh lines around his eyes and mouth softening into something that Edward had come to realize was love and affection.

"I know you will," Severus acknowledged, the dark amusement from before faded from his tone. "But you must know that it will not be as easy as that. These are dangerous times, dear one, and though I am loath to admit it, even your strength and my skills may not be enough to save us."

Closing his eyes, Edward nodded, chest inexplicably tight after the offered endearment. It wasn't often that his mate used it, especially outside their bedroom, but it seemed to dig itself into his heart this time and make it ache horribly. He sighed, eyes opening.

"What must we do then, Severus?"


End file.
